Coby Carruthers has written his name into the record books, becoming the first Australian to win the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final after a gripping sudden-death playoff at the Sir Nick Faldo Signature Course in Hue, Vietnam.
The 21-year-old Sydneysider entered the final round with a two-stroke lead and largely kept his composure through a tense back-nine battle with New Zealander Yuki Miya, who forced extra time by birdieing the 18th hole of regulation to level the scores at 11-under 202. At the first playoff hole, Carruthers rolled home a 16-foot birdie putt to seal the win.
“I was shaking intensely on that final putt,” said Carruthers, who closed with a two-under-par 69 in uncharacteristically breezy conditions.
“Two years ago I came here and fell just short, finishing fifth. I’m very happy to win this time.”
He was immediately drenched in water by his Australian teammates, who sprinted onto the 18th green to celebrate.
The winning putt was the culmination of a riveting final round. Carruthers and Miya were inseparable over the back nine. The Sydneysider birdied the 10th to edge clear, Miya levelled at the 13th, Carruthers struck again with a two at the short 14th, only for Miya to claw back once more at the 16th. It seemed Carruthers had finally broken free when a nine-iron from 131 yards left him a tap-in birdie at the treacherous 17th, but Miya summoned one last birdie at the 18th to force the playoff, setting the scene for Carruthers’ match-winning moment on the same hole minutes later.
Matthew Faldo, Director of the Faldo Series, was quick to mark the occasion. “
“Congratulations to Coby on becoming the first Australian to win the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final,” he said.
“I know Sir Nick has been hugely impressed with the quality of golf we’ve been treated to.”
David Northey, Director of Golf at Concord Golf Club and a guiding figure for Carruthers over the past six years, echoed the sentiment.
“Our goal was to come here and win. I’m very proud of Coby for achieving that.’
The victory adds to a growing list of amateur honours that includes the UAE Cup in 2024 and multiple NextGen Amateur Tour titles.
Carruthers now heads to South Australia, where he will represent NSW at next week’s Australian Interstate Teams Matches at Glenelg Golf Club.
